Describes lectures presented for the Winter Mountaineering
Course. Dr. Otto Trott, Dave Lind, Olav Ulland and Walter
Hoffman were among the speakers and the subjects included
bivouacs and shelters, avalanches, first aid, cross-country,
jumping, and glacier skiing. The article mentions that the "The
Mountaineer team entered in most of the PNSA meets around the
state." (Apparently a reversal of the 1938 decision not to
compete.)

This excellent article provides an overview of ski mountaineering
from a historical and technical perspective, with a good summary
of early Northwest developments. The article provides the
background and rationale for the club's new ski mountaineering
course.

The article begins by offering a practical definition of ski
mountaineering and placing the birth of the sport at the 1897 ski
traverse of the Bernese Oberland by Wilhelm Paulke and
companions. The author then compares the situation in the Alps
with that in North America.

The author attributes the first skiing in the local area to Norm
Engle and Thor Bisgaard of the Mountaineers in 1914 at Paradise
Valley. Then he describes three attempts by Mountaineer members
to ski Mt Rainier:

1927, April: Bill Maxwell, Andy Anderson, Fred DuPuis and Lang
Slaussen. Turned back at Camp Curtis (9500 feet) due to lack of
time. (Note: A news clipping in one of Maxwell photo albums at
U.W. indicates that H.P. Wunderling was also in the party.)

The author provides a description of the successful ski ascent of
Rainier by the late Sigurd Hall, accompanied by Andy Hennig, on
July 2, 1939. He offers this commentary: "It is apparent that
the feasibility of a ski ascent and descent of Mount Rainier has
not yet been proved for, in spite of Sig Hall's magnificent feat,
the conditions were essentially unsuitable for skiing. It is
also apparent that the real reason for skiing up a mountain is to
make it possible to ski down! Carrying skis downhill would not
encourage many to take up the sport!" He further notes that Hall
"did not confine his efforts to Mount Rainier but rode his skis
up to and down from the summits of Adams, Baker, St Helens and
Glacier as well as numerous other peaks, accompanied at various
times by Dwight Watson, Walt Hoffman, John James and others."

The author writes that the names of the party making the first
ski ascent of Mt Baker are not known. (Perhaps the
Sperlin-Loners ascent of 1930 was thought not to be the first, or
perhaps the author refers to the fact that they didn't make a
complete descent on skis.) He goes on to describe a traverse of
the peak in spring 1932 by Ben Thompson, Don Henry and Darroch
Crookes. Starting from Mt Baker lodge, they traveled past Camp
Kizer [sic] and camped at the junction of the Mazama and Rainbow
glaciers. The following day, despite poor weather, they made the
summit and camped in the crater. (Note: According to
asa-1935-p68
they did not summit.) On the 3rd day they descended, still in
clouds, to Kulshan Cabin where they spent two days. From there
the plan was to encircle the mountain on the south and east sides
and return to Mt Baker lodge.

They began the attempt (on their 6th day), spending that night on
Thunder Glacier. The next night was spent near Easton Glacier.
On the 8th day they anticipated making the long traverse of the
Easton, Boulder, Park and Rainbow glaciers back to Mt Baker
lodge, but a sudden violent thunderstorm drove them down to
timber on the south side of the mountain from whence they
reached civilization again by way of the Nooksack River. The
author writes: "It is to be noted that this trip, localized as it
was to one peak, had all the elements as well as more rigorous
exposure equal to most of the classical alpine ski mountaineering
trips. In addition to the necessary requirements of roped
skiing technique and icecraft, the travelers were obliged to
camp out on snow and ice for several nights, whereas most of the
alpine tours were aided by the presence of alpine club huts."

The author recounts the 1934 ski traverse from Paradise to White
River Camp by Orville Borgersen, Otto Strizek and Ben Spellar.
He also lists some of the outings described by Walt Hoffman and
Dwight Watson in the 1937 Mountaineer Annual.

The author notes that most local ski mountaineering
accomplishments have been "sporadic but highly creditable
individual efforts" rather than having grown out of "a definitely
organized attempt to widen the boundaries of the sport." In order
to promote interest in ski mountaineering more systematically,
the Mountaineers Ski Committee is "engaged in the presentation of
a Ski Mountaineering Course, which is intended to be complete
within itself, and is also organizing an extensive schedule of
ski-mountaineering trips, varying from easy one day tours to
relatively arduous ascents of major peaks." The author describes
the program as "frankly experimental since the committee is
entering upon unknown ground." To illustrate the need for such a
course, he describes in detail what a ski mountaineer needs to
know for an ascent of Mount St Helens or Mount Baker.

Finally, he concludes: "A neophyte might well question, 'Why take
all this trouble?' To one who has once felt the thrill of the
long high ski trails in the bright spring weather, with perfect
snow underfoot, there is no need of rationalizing an answer. You
just like it."

The article describes trips organized by the Ski Committee under
the leadership of Walter Little.

On April 26-27, fourteen skiers hiked from the Carbon River to
Seattle Park and then skied to about 9200 feet on Ptarmigan
Ridge. On the approach hike, "A few sensible ones tied [their
skis] on their pack, but the ingenious Jack Hossack soon had many
of us carrying them slipped through the pack straps and then tied
in front, making a steamboat prow effect."

In late May a group skied the Interglacier to Steamboat Prow at
9700 feet. In mid-June twenty planned to make a climb of Little
Tahoma. After a drizzly morning, a few decided to get some
skiing practice. Many remained at Meany Crest, but Tom Campbell,
Lyman Boyer and the author continued to the summit (11,117 feet)
leaving their skis a few hundred feet below the top.

At the end of June, a group of seven, including Walt Little,
Lyman Boyer, William Degenhardt and the author approached the
Tahoma Glacier via St Andrews Park. The trip included roped
glacier skiing and two of the party made at least a partial
ascent of St Andrews Rock, reporting the rock to be "very bad for
climbing in ski boots."

In mid-July a party climbed to Kautz Ice Fall from Paradise, with
Lyman Boyer completing the trip on skis.

Other trips included a ski tour to Stevens Pass in mid-March,
skiing Mt St Helens via the Dogshead route in mid-May, a ski
outing to the Mount Baker Ski Club lodge in early April, and an
attempt, foiled by rain and colorfully described, on Mount Baker
via the Boulder Creek route on Memorial Day weekend.

Reminiscences of C.G. "Gus" Morrison, a Mountainer since 1913.
Includes this:

"Gus had been initiated into the mystery of the ski as far back
as 1913 when he had had to borrow a pair on a winter outing at
Mount Rainier, as a substitute for snowshoes. It was his first
winter outing and he had not yet acquired a pair of snowshoes of
his own, so when someone offered to loan him an extra pair of
curious-looking boards, he accepted, little dreaming the
entanglements involved. Few people had even seen a pair of skis
at that time, let alone know how to use them, and Gus found that
they had a will of their own. Six years later, he had made peace
with them enough to buy a pair of his own..."

The Mountaineer Board voted to discontinue the Open Ski Patrol
Race, due to lack of interest by members of the club. The Ski
Committee report reiterates the general lack of interest in ski
competition and only the Hayes Cup (men's slalom) and University
Book Store Cup (men's cross-country) were contested. 1941 was
again a poor snow year.

Opposite the table of contents, on page 5, is a list of
Mountaineers members in the U.S. armed forces. On p. 25 is a
salute by Mountaineers president George MacGowan to these
members. More than 10% of the members are now in the armed
forces, with more to follow.

Obviously not a local trip report, but the article is interesting
because it illustrates the integration of skis into an ambitious
mountaineering trip. Starting from Knight Inlet on July 1, Fred
and Helmy Beckey spent over a month in the Waddington area.
(Their companion Erick Larson, turned back on the second day due
to illness.) They were using five foot skis and while waiting for
conditions on Waddington to improve they explored the area on
skis, including a ski ascent of Mt Munday (11,500 feet). They
used skis to make the 3000 foot ascent of the Dais ice fall to
their high camp below the south face of Waddington. The author
writes that after the climb, "We enjoyed a thrilling ski run back
to Icefall Point, the numerous crevasses of the icefall making an
interesting slalom course. Our skis certainly proved their worth
on this trip as much of our traveling on the ski crossing
demanded their use."

Describes the results of the club's first ski mountaineering
course. The course was intended "to develop more skiers capable
of winter mountaineering and to develop a more extensive ski
program more fitted to the needs of the club than competition."
About 100 people registered for the course, and in spite of the
war, which began about midway through the course, 31 people took
the final exam. There were eight graduates: Ann Cederquist,
Adelaide and Bill Degenhardt, Roy Snider, Gummie Johnson, Art
Pedersen, Paul Kennedy and Walt Little (ski committee chairman).
The graduation requirements included overnight camping on snow,
roped skiing practice, and two extended tours involving snow
camping and glacier skiing.

Account of the author's experiences training for the U.S.
mountain troops at Camp Hale, CO. Most of the men at Hale came
from New England or the far western states and had been
mountaineers or skiers in civilian life. The author describes
the training regimen and the opportunities for troopers to
practice what they've learned on weekends. He concludes, "Camp
Hale is now the ski school and the mountaineering school of the
world. The Mountain Infantrymen will carry the mountaineering
skills they have attained back to their homes after the war."

The ski mountaineering course was well attended. Ski touring was
limited by "the transportation situation" (gas rationing) but
trips to Crystal Basin, Granite Mountain, and Silver Peak Basin
were scheduled.

Describes an outing in early May by the author and George Dennis
(supervisor of the Stevens Pass Ski Development) into the
Enchantment Lakes area near Leavenworth. Their plan was to ski
in the area of Snow Creek Glacier. Running low on energy and
time, the stopped instead at Prusik Pass and surveyed the
country. They enjoyed the skiing back to Snow Lake and wearily
returned to the car, arriving in drenching rain.

Photo of a skier ascending below Prusik Peak, accompanying the
Walter Little article. (Although not relevant from a ski
mountaineering perspective, this may have been one of the
earliest published photos of Prusik. This article inspired later
Mountaineer writers to visit the area expressly for rock
climbing.)

Two fine ski mountaineering photos accompanying the Jo Anne
Norling article. One is of skiers on Sibley-Triad divide with
the west face of Eldorado Peak in the background, the other in
the northern Olympics, with Mt Olympus in the distant background.

A short reminiscence about the Snoqualmie lodge. Work on the
lodge was begun on May 8, 1914 and it was dedicated on June 21,
while partially completed. In the earliest days, the lodge was
reached by train to Rockdale followed by a two-mile trail trip.
When the highway was built, it cut the trail trip in half. The
highway made climbing most of the Lodge peaks so easy from the
car that the Lodge was less frequently used as a base. After
1938 the members used the lodge mostly as a retreat, not as a
base for climbing and skiing. At least 20,000 visits were made
during the thirty years the lodge was in use. The article
includes two photos of the lodge (one exterior, one interior) by
the author.

Account of the second Mountaineers Climbers' Outing (the first
being to the Chimney Rock area the previous year). The party
approached via Lake Chelan and Stehekin and camped near Pelton
Lake. They climbed Sahale, Magic (N face), Pelton and Forbidden
Pk (2nd ascent). Interesting because it reveals the preferred
approach to the area in those days.

The article begins with an extended description of a descent by
the author and party from the summit of Mt Adams (12,307 feet).
Nearing base camp, the author writes:

"To save wear and tear on skis, we should naturally have removed
them at each ridge, and replaced them at each gully, but the
thought of bending tired bodies up and down was too repugnant to
be considered so we simply took to the bare ridge, the rocks, the
pine needles, and through the brush with our skis on, presenting
an irresistibly comic appearance as we clattered along, complete
with sun glasses, snow paint, ski poles, packsacks and broad
grins. Klister is definitely not good for this type of skiing;
one should use 'ground wax,' we decided."

The author follows this account with a capsule summary of the
typical ski mountaineering season, which he breaks up as follows:
autumn (Oct-Nov), winter (Dec-Mar), early spring (Apr), spring
and early summer (May-Jul), and summer (Aug-Sep).

The author says 1947 was a year of good weather and snow
conditions and he lists Mountaineer trips accomplished:
Whitehorse, Silver Peak, Pinnacle Peak, St Helens and Camp Hazard
on Rainier. Two scheduled trips, Flapjack Lakes in the Olympics
and St Andrews Rock, were cancelled due to lack of interest or
bad weather.

A quote: "There is a fine feeling of traveling that comes with a
trip of much variety. It's much as though your skis were
taking you to a travelogue movie, with yourself as one of the
actors, and a new part of the movie unfolding itself around each
corner and pass."

The author concludes by describing the group management problems
presented by downhill skiing and the strategies developed by the
ski committee to deal with them. It seems regimented by today's
standards, but probably appropriate under the circumstances.

The 1947 Climbers' Outing. This year the group approached via
Cascade River, a 14 mile hike which was made with the help of
pack horses. They crossed Cache Col and camped at Kool-Aid lake,
making ascents of Hurry-Up, Mixup, Formidable and Magic, then
moved camp and climbed Sharkfin Tower and attempted Forbidden.

The author writes, "Here in our Pacific Northwest, where vast
mountain wilderness is so near at hand, mountain cabins are sadly
lacking. Thousands of us have dreamed for years of the time when
mountain cabins and shelters would be plentifully available on
all mountain trails." He says the idea of memorial cabins came to
him as a result of the loss of friends killed in action overseas.
A written contract has been accomplished with the Forest Service
for the building of cabins using funds provided by the
Association. Work is under way for a similar plan with the Park
Service. The article includes diagrams of proposed cabin designs
and it says that two cabins have so far been completed, at
Nordrum Lake and Lower Tuscahatche Lake. Since this idea
apparently didn't go far, the article is an interesting glimpse
of what might have been.

Several ski photos by Bob and Ira Spring illustrate ads near the
back of the annual.

This account of the first complete ski descent of Mt Rainier
acknowledges the 1939 ascent by Sigurd Hall and explains why nine
years elapsed before the next logical step was made: "Since this
effort [the Hall ascent] the National Park Service has
consistently refused to grant permission for summit ski attempts.
It was only after two years of rejected applications that the
Park Service finally decided to allow us a trial attempt via the
Emmons route."

Cliff Schmidtke, Dave Roberts, Kermit Bengtson and the author
left the cabin in Glacier Basin at 1 am and climbed to Camp
Curtis. Conditions were good for climbing on skis over the next
3000 feet, but higher hard snow prompted all but Dave Roberts to
switch to crampons. Roberts continued on skis all the way to the
crater rim. They dropped skis and crossed to the summit register
by 2 pm. On the descent they skied two to a rope, each man
carrying a ski pole in one hand and an ice axe in the other.
Down the first 2,000 feet of icy snow, they frequently moved one
at a time, the stationary man giving a running ice-axe pick
belay. Lower, the snow softened and they entered clouds before
rejoining their support party at Camp Curtis.

The author writes: "It was generally believed beforehand that a
ski party would have an extremely small chance of experiencing
good skiing conditions all the way from the summit to the base.
Our experience certainly did not accomplish anything toward
weakening that belief. We had ice on the upper section, trap
crust in the middle section, slush most of the way past that, and
good summer snow only on the lower half of Inter-Glacier, so we
cannot very well claim that the downhill run alone justifies the
use of skis to the summit, at least under such conditions." He
also notes, "During the ascent we confirmed the well known fact
that army mohair climbers are impractical under icy conditions,
due to the fastening straps preventing one's edges from biting
into the ice. We feel that a wax-on type climber might be far
superior for such an undertaking."

Wolf Bauer is chairman of this new group, which has committees
working on climbing instruction, leadership training, climbing
guides, safety, and natural science. A companion article,
"Pacific Northwest Conference" (p. 40) by the same author,
describes a conference organized in June of mountaineering
organizations and government agencies to become better acquainted
with each other's problems. The conference explored the
possibility of setting up a regional safety and rescue council.
"It would seem that the Mountaineers have succeeded in leading
the way in establishing a regional round table and a cooperative
council that may set the pattern in other areas of the country."

Describes a route taken in July by H. Manning, D. Widrig, P.
Huffman, D. Turner, B. Brooks and the author, and recommended for
ski ascents. The route seems to be somewhat south of the Boulder
Basin route. [Note: I don't think this party actually used skis.]

Describes an attempt by Pete Shoening, Ralph Widrig and Joe Hieb
to approach and climb Mt Olympus on skis in February, 1948. The
ascent was not completed due to foul weather. Three weeks later,
Hieb and Widrig again set out up the Hoh prepared to stay about a
week. Snow was encountered one mile up the Hoh road and skis
were used immediately from where they parked at the windfall.
Skiing was reasonably fast and Elk Lake was made on the second
day. On the one clear day they had, they set out for the summit
but were stopped a half mile from Glacier meadows by steep
avalanche gullies. They scouted routes from Elk Lake to Glacier
Meadows, concluding that a day should be allowed for this section
and the climb made from the meadow.

A trip into the Dome Peak area via Sulphur Creek. The party
included Erick Karlsson and Tom Miller who would later complete
the second Ptarmigan traverse. The group climbed both summits of
Dome (on separate days) and Dynaflow Tower. Plans to climb other
summits were foiled by weather.

Describes 1949 as a very heavy snow year. The Snoqualmie and
Stevens lodges were dedicated and occupied for the first time
this season. The Stevens article names Walt Little as the
"guiding spirit in the hut construction." At Mt Baker, the
Mountaineers continue to lease cabins. A quote: "Baker has hills
for everyone, places to go where you can see out to the Strait,
and there's always the possibility that someday both the snow
will be good and the weather will clear up!"